Foster JB - Aspects of Class in the United States - An Introduction

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1、AspectsofClassintheUnitedStatesAnIntroductionJOHNBELLAMYFOSTERIfclasswariscontinualincapitalistsociety,thereisnodoubtthatinrecentdecadesintheUnitedStatesithastakenamuchmorevirulentform.InaspeechdeliveredatNewYorkUniversityin2004BillMoyerspointedoutthat,Clas

2、swarwasdeclaredagenerationagoinapowerfulpaperbackpolemicbyWilliamSimon,whowassoontobeSecretaryoftheTreasury.Hecalledonthefinancialandbusinessclass,ineffect,totakebackthepowerandprivilegestheyhadlostinthedepressionandthenewdeal.Theygotthemessage,andsoontheyb

3、eganastealthyclasswaragainsttherestofthesocietyandtheprinciplesofourdemocracy.Theysetouttotrashthesocialcontract,tocuttheirworkforcesandwages,toscourtheglobeinsearchofcheaplabor,andtoshredthesocialsafetynetthatwassupposedtoprotectpeoplefromhardshipsbeyondth

4、eircontrol.BusinessWeekputitbluntlyatthetime[initsOctober12,1974issue]:“Somepeoplewillobviouslyhavetodowithless....itwillbeabitterpillformanyAmericanstoswallowtheideaofdoingwithlesssothatbigbusinesscanhavemore.”1Theeffectsofthisrelentlessoffensivebytheveste

5、dinterestsagainsttherestofthesocietyareincreasinglyevident.In2005theNewYorkTimesandtheWallStreetJournaleachpublishedaseriesofarticlesfo-cusingonclassintheUnitedStates.Thisrareopenacknowledgementoftheimportanceofclassbytheelitemediacanbeattributedinparttorap

6、idincreasesinincomeandwealthinequalityinU.S.societyoverthelastcoupleofdecades—coupledwiththedramaticeffectsoftheBushtaxcutsthathaveprimarilybenefitedthewealthy.Butitalsogrewoutofahostofnewstatisticalstudiesthathavedemonstratedthatinter-generationalclassmobi

7、lityintheUnitedStatesisfarbelowwhatwaspreviouslysupposed,andthattheUnitedStatesisamoreclass-boundsocietythanitsmajorWesternEuropeancounterparts,withtheexcep-tionofBritain.InthewordsofTheWallStreetJournal(May13,2005):AlthoughAmericansstillthinkoftheirlandasa

8、placeofexceptionalopportunity—incontrasttoclass-boundEurope—theevidencesuggests12MONTHLYREVIEW/JULY-AUGUST2006otherwise.Andscholarshave,overthepastdecade,cometoseeAmericaasalessmobilesocietythantheyonc